Editorial: Carbon monoxide can kill

By Halifax Media NC

Published: Friday, June 21, 2013 at 10:08 AM.

An 11-year-old boy from
Rock Hill
,
S.C.
, staying in the same room with his mother, died June
8. A
preliminary autopsy showed his death was caused by asphyxia. The mother was hospitalized in critical condition, and police say high levels of carbon monoxide was found in the room.

The hotel is now closed as investigations continue. It’s likely a bill will surface in the Legislature requiring carbon monoxide detectors in hotels. Al-ready the law requires the detectors in most new homes and rental apartments.

Certainly, the vacationers and other travelers should have reasonable expectations of safety when renting a hotel or motel room.

Responsible owners won’t wait for government to force installation of carbon monoxide detectors, if for no other reason than to avoid the devastating lawsuits sure to follow any tragedy.

Travelers can also take responsibility, staying where detectors have been installed.

Employers can learn from the incident at the
Lincoln
County
plant and take precautions that protect workers. Unsafe workplaces won’t be in business long.

Individuals can act responsibly, too, by installing carbon monoxide detectors in their residences to help ensure the safety of their loved ones. There even is a portable device which can be purchased for about $35 that can be used when traveling.

The deaths of three people in the same Boone motel room and the symptoms experienced by workers at a LincolnCounty tortilla chip plant bring into sharp focus the danger and the need for safety precautions.

Thankfully, the 27 R.W. Garcia employees and one firefighter taken to the hospital last week with signs of carbon monoxide poisoning were treated and released with no apparent severe effects.

To their credit, emergency crews responded quickly and plant management saw to it that all employees were evacuated, likely preventing further harm or replicating the Boone tragedies.

The company has continued to act responsibly, keeping the plant closed until determining the source of a gas leak that is believed to have caused high levels of carbon monoxide in the building.

Exactly what happened in Boone is yet to be determined, but signs point to high levels of carbon monoxide from a natural gas heater used to warm the indoor pool at the BestWesternPlusBlue RidgePlaza.

In April, a couple from Longview, Wash., died in Room 225, which is located above the pool area. Toxicology reports show they died of carbon mon-oxide poisoning, police say.

An 11-year-old boy from Rock Hill, S.C., staying in the same room with his mother, died June 8. A preliminary autopsy showed his death was caused by asphyxia. The mother was hospitalized in critical condition, and police say high levels of carbon monoxide was found in the room.

The hotel is now closed as investigations continue. It’s likely a bill will surface in the Legislature requiring carbon monoxide detectors in hotels. Al-ready the law requires the detectors in most new homes and rental apartments.

Certainly, the vacationers and other travelers should have reasonable expectations of safety when renting a hotel or motel room.

Responsible owners won’t wait for government to force installation of carbon monoxide detectors, if for no other reason than to avoid the devastating lawsuits sure to follow any tragedy.

Travelers can also take responsibility, staying where detectors have been installed.

Employers can learn from the incident at the LincolnCounty plant and take precautions that protect workers. Unsafe workplaces won’t be in business long.

Individuals can act responsibly, too, by installing carbon monoxide detectors in their residences to help ensure the safety of their loved ones. There even is a portable device which can be purchased for about $35 that can be used when traveling.

Carbon monoxide is an invisible gas with no odor and it is deadly to humans and animals in highly concentrated amounts. It is especially dangerous when fuel is burned in close quarters. A car engine running in a closed garage is particularly dangerous.

Learn about the danger from this silent killer. Take the necessary precautions to prevent any tragedy in your own home or business and encourage others to do the same.